Niall Collins

Deputy Smith has referenced community safety and criminality in rural areas in particular, as has Deputy Ó Murchú. I reiterate that rural and community safety is not just a job for An Garda Síochána alone. It requires a multiagency, multisectoral and a whole-of-government response. Supporting the work of our national rural safety forum, the Department of Justice first published the Rural Safety Pl…

I thank the Deputy for his question. I assure him the Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy. Our budget for 2025 saw an unprecedented level of funding of €2.48 billion for the year which, as I referenced previously, is a 27% increase since 2020. I have also…

The Deputy is correct to raise the issues that impact on his constituency. There is no doubt that the three of us here on the Front Bench are taking note of what he is saying and we will convey his views to the Garda Commissioner. To reiterate, a number of years ago, this House passed a major Bill, which means the entire operational side of An Garda Síochána is in the gift of the Garda Commissione…

This is absolutely something we can raise in our next discussion with the Garda Commissioner and his team. In my own experience, I have seen many community outreach and engagement activities by An Garda Síochána so it is not something beyond their capabilities. I do not see any reason why it cannot be done and we will certainly offer that as a suggestion.

Are we supposed to fly?

I thank Deputy Hearne for raising this important issue. The Government and the HSE are fully committed to enhancing services to better support children with disabilities in Ireland. The Progressing Disability Services Roadmap 2023-2026 focuses on the ongoing development of CDNTs to meet current and growing demand. A child does not require a diagnosis to access services. CDNTs provide a multidiscip…

The overall HSE disability budget for 2025 has increased to €3.2 billion. That equates to an 11.6% increase over the previous year. This matter remains an extremely high priority for the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities, for the Government and for senior leadership within the HSE. The HSE is supporting families of children while they are on waiting lists. These initiatives in…

On behalf of the Minister, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on a number of issues. The Coroner Service comprises a network of coroners in districts throughout the country and a coroner is an independent office holder. The Department of Justice has direct responsibility for providing financial and administrative support to the Dub…

I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter The Department of Justice is committed to driving the modernisation of the coroner service in Ireland. There are many positive aspects to the current service. Foremost is the compassion of coroners and their staff when engaging with bereaved family members. A number of areas would benefit from being modernised. For this reform process to be effecti…

My thanks to People Before Profit-Solidarity for tabling this motion on gender-based violence. I acknowledge also the emphatic contributions made by all speakers across the House. Like other speakers, I also want to acknowledge our visitors in the Gallery today and thank them for their input. As the Minister made clear earlier, the Government is not opposing this motion. We are all in agreement t…

I also congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his election. I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this important matter. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, who has engaged with the Revenue Commissioners on this matter. He has been informed by Revenue that there has been no change in the legislation nor in Revenue’s interpretation of the existing legislation rela…

I will convey to the Minister for Finance the Deputy's request to be kept up to date. As I indicated in my opening remarks, there has been no change in the legislation, or Revenue's interpretation of same, relating to the benefit-in-kind charge that is applicable on employer-provided vehicles or the exemption relating to the pooling of cars or vans. However, the nature of this Topical Issue and t…